Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Version 2021.2
February 2021
TP-00357-11
Copyright © 2021 by EditShare
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1
Contents
System Requirements 8
Triggers 17
Inputs 17
Filters 18
Tasks 18
Method 2 20
2
Completing the Automation Template 25
Introduction 38
3
Using Automation 39
Caveats 39
4
Copy with Passthrough Task 59
Boolean 79
Text 80
Numeric 80
Date/Time 81
Color 81
Example 1 82
Example 2 83
Example 3 83
5
Queued Jobs Viewer 86
Network 91
6
Chapter 1: Introduction
This chapter provides an overall description of EditShare FLOW Automation, an automated workflow tool
that performs repetitive jobs on items such as; folders, files metadata, and video formats.
● The EditShare FLOW Automation system has been installed and fully configured.
● You have been given access rights to use FLOW Automation.
If either of the previous requirements have not been met, refer to the FLOW Administrator’s Guide for
details.
FLOW Automation consists of a Workflow Connector and a Jobs Manager. The Workflow Connector allows
the user to create both simple and complex workflow templates using Triggers, Inputs, Tasks and Filters.
Triggers define how a workflow is started, for example, a specific time or a change of metadata. Tasks are
the jobs that are carried out on the results of a filter. One or more of the following tasks can be included in
a workflow template, in any combination:
7
The power of FLOW Automation’s workflow templates are enhanced by adding customized,
decision-making filters, based on true/false tests or search matches, to inputs and tasks. Workflow
templates are built graphically on screen in the style of a process flowchart.
Once active, workflow templates are triggered when their defined criteria are met. Each time a template is
triggered, a FLOW Automation Job is created. You can review the progress and status of each job in the
FLOW Automation Job Queue.
In common with other EditShare applications in the FLOW suite, dockable windows are employed,
allowing users to adjust the screen layout to suit their preferences.
System Requirements
You can use FLOW Automation on most web browsers for Windows, OS X, iOS, Linux and Android
workstations, and handheld devices. You must keep your web browser up to date, to take advantage of
the full functionality of FLOW Automation’s advanced features. We recommend that the Flash plug-in is
not installed.
8
Workflow Design Process
Workflow templates are built by adding elements in the sequence required to function as intended. All
workflow templates must start with a Trigger element type, but the remaining element types may be
added in any order.
Workflows can be tested before they are activated, and their progress monitored when they are in the job
queue.
The process for creating and using FLOW Automation’s workflow templates is summarized below.
9
Technical Support
For questions not addressed in our documentation, contact EditShare Technical Support. Have the exact
version number of your FLOW implementation ready.
EditShare strongly recommends that you purchase a support agreement. If you do not have a support
agreement, a per-incident rate may be available.
http://www.editshare.com/support
10
Chapter 2: Getting Started
This chapter describes starting FLOW Automation and its basic functions.
2. Enter your FLOW username and password into the named fields, and click Log In.
3. Click the Remember Login box, if your browser prompts you, to keep your login details for the
next log in.
4. Click OK.
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Item Description
1 Template list.
2 Palette containing Triggers, Inputs, Filters, and Tasks used with this template.
6 Template settings.
7 Template components.
12
Item Description
13
Automation Monitor View
The Automation Monitor view displays the jobs that are queued, activated, being processed, and those
that have completed. The view is accessed by clicking the Monitor tab.
Item Description
1 Monitor tab
2 Job actions
3 Job history
4 Job filter
14
Arranging the Desktop
The desktop can be resized, and can be scrolled and zoomed.
1. Making the Automation window full screen by clicking on the Maximize button on your Windows
or Mac.
2. Use your mouse scroll wheel to scroll up and down within the Design Window.
3. Hold down the Ctrl key (Windows) or Cmd key (Mac) while using your mouse scroll wheel to zoom
in or out of the Design Window.
15
Setting the Language in Your User Profile
By default, your FLOW user name displays at the top of the desktop. By clicking on your user name you
can change the language used within FLOW or you can logout of FLOW Automation.
1. Click on your user name, located at the top right of the page. The Settings window opens.
2. To change the Language presented, click on the actual language and select the desired language.
The language is changed to the specified language.
3. You can continue to work on your workflow or click Log out, to exit.
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Chapter 3: Workflow Template
Designer
Workflow templates are built within the Design tab of FLOW Automation and defines the workflow to be
automated. Within the Design tab you can create new blank templates, save existing ones, or save as
different templates.
Note: All Elements and parameters are listed in "Chapter 4: Element Library" on page 37.
● Triggers
● Input
● Filters
● Tasks
Triggers
Triggers are elements that are used to start workflow templates. A trigger can be a time of day, an interval
of time, or a change in a watched folder or file. A Manual trigger is provided for On Demand templates, and
is also useful for testing templates during the design stage. All workflow templates MUST start with a trigger.
For a complete list and description of trigger elements, see Trigger Elements.
Inputs
There are two types of input, those specific to a storage space and those for search filtering.
● Media Space - Sets a specific location from where files are processed by other downstream elements.
● Project - Points to an already existing project within FLOWStory or AirFLOW.
● Search - Applies a search criteria on files which are processed by other downstream elements.
Complex search expressions can be built by combining parameters.
For a complete list and description of input elements, see Input Elements.
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Filters
Filters provide more specific inputs to template elements. A Filter element differs from search input
elements in that it provides two possible outputs: one where the filter condition is true, and the other
where the condition is false.
For example, a filter can be defined to check if a file video codec is AVC Intra 100Mb 1080i or not:
Tasks
Tasks are the jobs that are carried out on the results of a filter or trigger. Tasks can include transcoding
media, scanning, copying or moving files and folders to storage spaces, or uploading files to FTP sites or
cloud services. You can also send email reports of tasks that Automation has performed.
For a complete list and description of task elements, see Task Elements.
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Joining Elements
There are two methods for joining elements:
1. While holding down the left mouse button, drag the new element from the template menu and
position it over an existing element so that the connectors you want to join are highlighted (‘A’).
2. Release the left mouse button. The elements are now connected.
3. Hold down the left mouse button to drag either element into the position you require.
4. To insert an element between two other elements:
a. While holding down the left mouse button, drag the new element from the template menu
onto the Design window.
b. Continue holding down the mouse button, and position the new element over the elements
you want to connect, until the connectors are highlighted.
c. Release the left mouse button. The new element is now connected to the other elements.
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Method 2
Use this method when the elements are already in the Design window but have not been connected, or
have inputs or outputs that are not connected:
1. Hold down the left mouse button over the connector of the first element and then drag across to
the connector of the second element.
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1. Click on the Palette tab.
2. Left-click, hold, and drag the desired trigger on to the work area of the Designer. In this example,
we want to run the template in FLOW Story so we select the External Trigger.
3. A full size version of the Trigger displays on screen. Drag with the mouse to position the item to
where exactly on the screen you want it.
Note: An exclamation mark on a red background displays on the trigger element, indicating that some of
the necessary details have not been specified for this trigger.
4. Optional: Type a name for the Trigger element in the Components tab. The name displays on the
trigger element in the Design area.
5. Optional: Select a color for the Trigger display by clicking the white square and selecting a color
from the palette.
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6. Select what item in the Workflow you want to run the template from. In this example, we select clips
from the drop-down list which indicates that this template is run from a clip within FLOW Story.
7. Select which users can run the template.
8. Select whether this template is shown in the client applications.
3. Drag the selected task on to the work area of the Designer. A full size version of the task displays
on screen.
4. Drag the task with the mouse to position the item to the right of the Time Trigger element created
earlier. An exclamation mark on a red background displays on the Task element.
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5. On the Components tab, select the task and enter the following:
● User display name - Enter a name for the Task element or you can leave this as the default
name. The name displays on the task element in the Design area.
● Clip Name - Enter the clip name for the output name.
● Destination Media Space - From the drop down list, select the storage space where you want
the transcoded media saved.
● Destination Folder - Enter the name of the destination output folder.
● Preserve Path - Click to preserve the folder path of the source.
● Wrapper - Select the wrapper type from the drop-down list.
● Encoding - Select the Encoding method to be used from the drop-down list.
● Channel - Select the channel or channels FLOW uses for transcoding.
● User - Leave this blank to use FLOW Control setup “automation” user or
● $USER$ to use the user that activates this template or any other FLOW user.
● Password - Enter a password for this task element.
● Maintain Source Metadata - Select to copy metadata from the source file to the output file.
● Maintain Markers - Select to copy markers from the source file to the output file.
● Skip if output exists - Select to skip the output if the output matching the codec and wrapper
exist.
● Update Avid PMR - Select update Avid PMR file. This is only valid if Avid destination media
space is used.
● Preserve Data Tracks - Select to preserve data tracks in the output file, if it is present in the
source file.
● Start Handle - add a handle to the start of transcoded clips, when transcoding markers.
● End Handle - add a handle to the end of transcoded clips, when transcoding markers.
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● Consolidated Sequences - Select to consolidate sequences and consolidate into one output
clip. If this is not selected, each sequence entry will be indi- vidually transcoded to a new clip.
6. Connect the two elements by holding down the left mouse button over the External trigger
connector and then dragging it across to the input connector of the task element.
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Completing the Automation Template
With the storage space needing to be scanned specified, you need to specify what occurs when this
completes. To do this, use this notification task to specify the project that is created in FLOW Story, and
the files that are added to it.
1. Click on the Palette tab and scroll down to the Tasks section.
2. Select the Task you require from the List and drag the Notification task on to the work area of the
Designer. In this example, we want to create a project in FLOW Story so we will select the Project task.
3. A full size version of the Trigger displays on screen. Drag with the mouse to position the item to
the right of the Time Trigger element created earlier. An exclamation mark on a red background
displays on the Task element.
4. Connect the two elements by holding down the left mouse button over the Transcode Task
connector and drag it across to the input connector of the Project Task element.
5. From the Components tab, under Project, enter a name for the project, for example mfh1.
6. Specify a folder name. In this example the name used is %d-mov-mezz. This uses the current date
appended by the text -mov-mezz.
7. Specify an operation that occurs when this task is run. This case we specify add which creates a
project in FLOW Story.
8. Specify who owns the task.
9. Select the Allowed users check box to allow any user on the system to run this automation task.
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Activating the Automation Template
You must activate an automation template before it can run as a scheduled task. Acti- vating a template
locks it down so no one else can use or make changes to it.
26
Accessing Automation within FLOW Story
Now that you have created an external automation template, you can access and run the template in the
FLOW Story Client.
Note: You must have permission rights to view and run Automation Templates. Ask your administrator if you are
unsure.
You can also combine expressions to produce more refined selections in your templates. See Combining
Expressions.
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Using Decision Filters
Filters are one of the more powerful features of Automation as they provide two conditional outputs - true
or false. In the following example, we shall create a workflow template that watches a storage space and
sends an email notification when a .mov or .mpeg file is added to that space.
1. Click on the Templates tab and create a new workflow template called ‘Watch Folder Demo’. See
Creating a Simple Workflow Template.
2. Click on the Palette tab and scroll down to the Triggers section.
3. Click and add a Watch Folder trigger.
4. Click on the Components tab and configure the Watch Folder with the following parameters:
a. Media Space: A valid storage space that you have access to.
b. Folder: A valid folder in the storage space that you have access to.
c. Watch For: Select Items Added.
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d. File Names: *.mov; *.mpg (use a semicolon to separate entries).
e. Ignore: Leave blank.
f. Scan Type: Leave as Asset to refer to individual files.
g. Min File Size: Leave as is.
6. Select the condition contains from the second drop down list.
7. Type the word election into the text box.
8. Using the mouse, drag the Scan Task output connector onto the Metadata Filter input connector to
connect the two elements together. The exclamation marks on the Watch Folder and Metadata
elements are removed.
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9. You can now add other elements to the Y and N outputs of the filter element. To add a Notification
task, see Adding a Notification Task.
1. Click on the Palette tab and scroll down to Tasks and select Notification.
2. Left-click on the Notification task and drag the element on to the work area of Design. A full size
version of the Task element displays on screen.
3. Set the Notification parameters with the following values:
a. Email To: Your email address
b. Email From: A return email address
c. Email Title: The subject title for your email
d. Email Message: The text of your Email message
e. Email Message Detail: Select Full or Summary from the drop down list
f. Maximum Items to List: Maximum items to include in this list.
g. HTML Format: Specify whether or not to use HTML format for this notification.
4. Notify uploader - This option when selected will send an email to the user that performed the
upload task in Story or AirFLOW that the upload was completed.
5. Using the mouse, drag the Metadata Filter ‘Y’ output connector onto the Notification Task input
connector to connect the two elements together. The exclamation mark on the Notification
element is removed.
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6. Save and test the workflow template as described in Testing the Workflow Template.
7. When the test has started, upload or save a .mov or .mpeg file to the target directory, in order to
initiate the Watch Folder.
1. When you have added the element to the work area, click on the element you want to change. The
current color of the element displays as a box in the Properties area.
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Renaming Elements
You can rename individual elements so that it is easier to identify their purpose when you or other users
edit them in the future.
1. With the template open in Design view, click on the element that you want to rename. The
properties for the selected element display below the Components tab.
2. Click on the User display name and change the name, as desired. The name entered displays
inside the element in the Design window.
1. With the template open in Design view, double-click the text below the Note label. The text area
changes to a text box.
2. Type the text you want displayed into the text box and then press Enter on the keyboard.
You can set up to ten concurrent jobs in a template, but be aware that setting too many jobs can impact
on the performance of other workflow templates.
The Concurrent Jobs setting should not be confused with the number of jobs that are allowed to run in the
Jobs Queue.
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1. Type the number of concurrent jobs required directly into the text box.
2. The concurrent jobs are set.
The name of the current owner displays to the right of the padlock icon, and the name of the currently
selected template displays below the Design window.
When you lock a template in Design View, you are preventing other users from making changes to it. A
template locked this way cannot be activated. To lock a template in Design View:
1. Click on the Design tab and select the template you want to lock.
2. Click on the Lock next to the desired template. The padlock icon in the Templates panel ‘closes’
and changes from unlocked to locked.
3. To unlock the template, click on the Lock again.
A template is locked automatically when you activate it. See Activating and Deactivating a Workflow
Template.
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Activating and Deactivating a Workflow Template
You must activate a workflow template before it can run as a scheduled task.
3. In the dialog box, enter the name for the template copy, and then click OK. (The name must be
unique.) A copy of your template is created.
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Deleting Workflow Templates
If you have workflow templates which you no longer need, you can delete them so they do not clutter up
the Template list in Design View.
If you have templates which you may want to use at a later date, you can always save them as JSON files
and retrieve them when you do need them. See Exporting Workflow Templates.
2. Click on the Template you want to delete, and then click the Delete icon.
3. The template is deleted. (Automation does not give any warning that your template is about to
be deleted.)
You must have a user account enabled for Automation, which has read and write access to the storage
space where you want the log files saved. The Administrator for your FLOW system can create this account
for you. See Default Automation Account.
1. In Design View, select the Template that you want to create a log file for.
2. Select the Output log file field.
3. From the Output Log File in drop down list, select the storage space where you want the log file
saved. Make sure you have read and write access to the storage space you select.
4. Log files are written in text (.txt) format to the location you specify. Automation creates a name for
the log file based on the job name displayed in the Automation Job Queue.
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Exporting and Importing Workflow Templates
You can move workflow templates from one Automation system to another using the Export and Import
buttons in Design View. Workflow templates are converted to JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format,
and preserve the locations, connections and properties of your elements, including element colors and
notes.
You can also save a copy of workflow diagrams from the Design window as a Portable Network Graphics
(PNG) file. This is useful when you need to provide supporting documentation for templates you are
designing for customers and other users.
36
Importing Workflow Templates
Importing a template file overwrites any existing content that you may have in the destination template.
To import a workflow template:
37
Chapter 4: Element Library
This chapter describes the elements available in FLOW Automation and the properties that can be set.
Note: The color and name property fields of each Element description in this chapter have been removed as they
are common to all Elements in FLOW Automation.
Introduction
If you run a number of templates at ‘off-peak’ times, you should spread the start of times of these over the
off-peak period. Do not schedule all of your templates to start at the same time.
See the FLOW Control Guide for information about creating user accounts and setting user privileges in FLOW.
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Using Automation
FLOW can transfer files to and from FlashNet using FLOW Automation’s Copy Task. The storage spaces to
be read or written to by FlashNet must be made Public or assigned to the user account that will be
running FLOW Automation jobs.
1. In FLOW Automation, create the required workflow, including the Copy task to carry out the copy
to or from the storage space that you have created for the FlashNet storage group.
2. The Copy task works the same way as any other Automation Copy task between spaces.
● To backup files to FlashNet, specify the storage space for the FlashNet group in the To space
parameter of the Automation task.
● To restore files and partial files from Flashnet, locate the files using either a Search or storage
space input to the Copy task.
Caveats
The following limits should be noted:
● User and password must be specified in the Copy task and must have access to the FlashNet space
● When moving files with the Remove Original parameter, deletion on the source location does not
occur immediately as this operation is scheduled by the Flashnet system.
● Masstech FlashNet does not support folders. If you specify a folder in an Automation field,
FlashNet ignores it.
FLOW Integration
The MassStore system is presented as a media space type and accessed via copy and delete operations in
the transfer service, which in turn can be driven by FLOW Story, FLOW Automation, or the FLOW REST API.
This operates similar to the existing integration with FlashNet, although there is no partial file restoration
support. Files may be exchanged with media spaces that are accessible via SMB. MassStore pulls and
pushes files from locations specified to it with UNC paths.
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MassStore Server Configuration
MassStore is hosted on Windows 2016 server.
A user must be configured for FLOW to use when accessing the MMP API. There also needs to be a
MassStore location of type MMP for FLOW to use as a target for transfer. Information required for the
setup from MassStore to ES FLOW Control includes:
The EditShare storage location must be configured to allow overwrite, or there will be problems with file
restoration.
MassStore provides UNC paths to access files in FLOW media spaces. The credentials to access these
spaces are stored in the Windows Credential Manager.
For Editshare storage this user needs access to individual spaces using the Editshare Manager tools. The
following setup is recommended:
1. Create a user profile to handle MassStore transfers in EditShare systems and grant it access to all
storage spaces.
2. Add the user above to the Windows Credential Management tool on the MassStore Host. Make
sure the EditShare host can be resolved by the MassStore Host and add an entry to the file
<Windows>/system32/etc/hosts.
3. Copy operations can be performed via Automation Copy tasks or via FLOW Story by right clicking
Menu -> Archive.
1. Ensure that MassTech MassStore storage is licensed. A media space of type MassTech MassStore
will be added using the FLOW Control Storage Management tab.
2. Specify the IP address, the port should be the default value of 16888. The storage location,
username, and password are as configured on the MassStore system, as mentioned above.
3. Use the Test button to ensure that FLOW is able to sign in to the MassStore API.
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Ranged Markers
Ranged Markers can be used as inputs, triggers and filters, and are entered in the FLOW Story and
AirFLOW panels. Ranged markers can be used in Automation elements as follows:
Marker Text is, is not, contains, does not contain, starts with, ends with
Comments
Marker Time Time is, is not, later than, later than or equal to, earlier than,
(hh:mm:ss) earlier than or equal to
Marker Name Text is, is not, contains, does not contain, starts with, ends with
Marker Time Time is, is not, later than, later than or equal to, earlier than,
(hh:mm:ss) earlier than or equal to
Marker Rating Integer (1 to 5) is, is not, less than, greater than
● Metadata (Trigger)
● Metadata (Filter)
● Search (Input)
● Transcode (Task)
You can use these metadata items to filter out ranged marker entries that you may not want to use, or to
make other decisions based on their values. For example, if you use a Metadata trigger to start a
Transcode task, you could filter out clips or captures containing ranged markers based on their Rating (1
to 5) - or filter media based on their properties.
The Transcode task has the option to preserve log entries from the source material, allowing Automation
to perform further actions on those metadata items in subsequent stages of your workflow project.
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Trigger Elements
All workflow templates must start with a Trigger element. With the exception of the Manual Trigger,
Trigger elements start templates when a specified condition is met, e.g. time of day, metadata change. A
Manual trigger can only be started by user intervention. All other trigger elements can also be started
manually, if required.
External Trigger
You can use External Triggers to activate automation templates from client applications. For an
Automation template to be available to a user in a client it must adhere to the following guidelines:
PARAMETERS:
Trigger on Specifies which asset type(s) the automation template applies to.
For example, if a template only triggers on Clips it will be available for clips only;
not any other asset type.
Allowed users Controls who is allowed to activate the template. When set to Is Public anyone can
activate the template. Alternatively you can select specific users.
Show in Clients Whether the template is shown in client applications (set this to false if you only
want it to be available to trigger via FLOW's API and it is not intended to be shown
in client applications).
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Interval Trigger
An Interval Trigger is used to start a template at a regular interval. An Interval Trigger has only one parameter.
PARAMETERS:
● Interval: Interval in hours, minutes, seconds, up to a maximum of 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds.
Set the longest interval that is acceptable for your template. Setting a shorter interval of a few minutes or
seconds may take up more resources on your FLOW system, resulting in poor performance for your users.
The maximum interval you can set is 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds. If you want to run a template
once per day, you must use the Time Trigger element.
Manual Trigger
A Manual Trigger provides an ‘On Demand’ or manual start where no other definable condition can be
used to start a template.
PARAMETERS: None
1. In Automation, click the Design tab and then click the Template tab.
2. Click on the Template you want to run.
3. Click the Activate button.
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Metadata Trigger
A Metadata Trigger is used to start templates when any or a specific metadata property is changed to a
given value.
PARAMETERS:
Fire on any change Select the box to start the template when any metadata property has been
changed.
Match Sets the criteria to be matched before the template can be started. The criteria
is in three parts.
Time Trigger
A Time Trigger is used to start templates at a specific time of day, week, or month.
PARAMETERS:
Occurrence Sets the interval. The options are: Every day, Every week, Every month, Once.
Selecting ‘Once’ creates a one-time timed event for the Template.
If your template uses a significant amount of network resources, you should schedule these to run when
they will cause the least disruption to your users. See Considerations for System Resources.
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Watch Folder Trigger
A Watch Folder Trigger starts a template when files are added to, or removed from, a user specified
storage space folder. In addition to monitoring file size, the modification time of files are checked to make
sure that triggers are not initiated on files that are still changing.
PARAMETERS
Create Proxies Select the box if you want proxies created when new clips are placed in the
watched storage space or folder.
Recursive Select to display all of the files and directories under the storage space folder.
Storage Space Select the required storage space from the drop down list.
Folder If you want to select a folder within a storage space, type the name of the folder in
this field. You can specify multiple folders by separating each folder name with a
comma (,).
Watch For Select ‘Items Added’ or ‘Items Removed’ from the drop down list.
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File Type Type the extension of the file type you want watched. You can specify a range of
file types by using wildcards:
* - Replace the wildcard with any number of valid characters, for example:
.m* allows .mp3, .mp4, .mov, .mpg, .mpeg file types, and so on.
You can also specify multiple file types by separating each type with a semicolon,
for example:
File types are case insensitive - for example: MXF is the same as mxf.
Ignore If you specified a range of file types to watch in the previous field, you can specify
a file extension you do not want watched. You can also use wildcards to specify a
range of file types to ignore.
* - Replace the wildcard with any number of valid characters, for example:
.m* allows .mp3, .mp4, .mov, .mpg, .mpeg file types, and so on.
You can also specify multiple file types by separating each type with a semicolon,
for example:
Scan Specifies the type of scan performed. Asset refers to individual files, while Quick,
Normal and Full are the Scan Types described in the FLOW Browse User Guide
and the FLOW Administrator’s Guide. Select Asset, Quick, Normal or Full from the
drop down list.
Minimum File Size Type the minimum file size, in bytes, that will trigger the Watch Folder task. The
default is 1024 bytes.
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You can run the Watch Folder trigger without other elements connected to it. This is useful if you just want
to scan new content arriving in a folder without scanning the whole storage space.
A scan of the storage space is started when a change in a watched folder is detected - there is no need to
follow this trigger with a Scan task.
Input Elements
Input elements apply specific user-defined criteria which are processed by downstream elements. There
are two types of input element, storage space and Search.
PARAMETERS:
Storage Space Select the storage space from the drop down list.
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This element applies the same action on all files in the specified storage space. If you associate
a Delete Task with this element, all files in the storage space you specify will be deleted.
If you want to delete selected files in a storage space, use the Search Input element instead.
If you want to delete files in one folder of a storage space but not in other folders, then you need to use
the storage space input element, specify the folder, and then insert a Search input element between that
and the Delete Task.
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Search Input
A Search Input applies a search criteria on files which are processed by other downstream elements. This
uses the same search functionality used in other members of the FLOW applications suite.
PARAMETERS:
Sets the criteria to be matched before the template can be started. The criteria is in three
parts.
Searc ● Select metadata from the drop down list
h ● Select the operator (is, is not, contains, etc.)
Input Enter the free form text that the search criteria is to be applied to
Complex search expressions can be built by clicking on the + button to create additional parameters.
Filter Elements
A Filter element differs from search input elements in that it provides two possible outputs: one where the
filter condition is true, and the other where the condition is false.
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Baton QC Filter
Baton™ by Interra Systems is a Quality Control (QC) solution for checking file-based systems. You will
require a Baton QC server connected to the same network as FLOW.
PARAMETERS:
Priority Set the priority level from the drop down list. The priority levels are:
● Immediate
● Urgent
● High
● Normal
● Low
COMPATIBILITY:
This task has been tested with Version 6.4 of Baton QC.
WEBSITE:
http://www.interrasystems.com/
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Metadata Filter
The Metadata Filter tests the condition and, if it is true, the input is passed to the element or task
connected to the ‘Y’ output. If the condition is false, the input is passed to the element or task connected
to the ‘N’ output.
The Conditions drop down list contains a wide selection of system and customized parameter options.
You can even filter on whether a clip is in a sequence or has asset associations.
PARAMETERS:
Conditions * Sets the criteria to be matched before the template can be started. The criteria is in
three parts.
Enter the free form text that the search criteria is to be applied to
* Functionality can be extended by using the features described in Fields with Combined Input Values.
Complex search expressions can be built by clicking on the + button to create additional parameters.
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QScan QC Filter
QScan QC is a fully featured, comprehensive video and audio QC system used to check the integrity of
your media files. The earlier any issues are found with your media, the easier and quicker it is to rectify
them. A QScan QC Filter analyzes media files arriving into your facility and automatically performs a series
of automated tests on both the audio and video signals, confirming the files meet channel specifications.
PARAMETERS:
User The user IP address to access the QScan system (for example, admin).
Host IP Address The host IP address where the QScan service runs.
Template Allows you to choose which QScan QC template to use. This drop-down list
is filled only if Automation can login to the QScan system, and therefore,
only works if the user, password and IP are correct.
Speed 1: for slow 5: for medium, 10: for full speed, 15: for very-high.
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Maximum Concurrent The maximum number of files of the QScan project that will be
Analysis simultaneously analyzed.
Create PDF If this option is checked, at the end of each analysis, the PDF report will be
retrieved and associated with the clip, stored in the same storage space,
and they will be associated.
Field for URL report Allows you to choose a custom metadata field to set the URL to directly
access the QC report in HTML format; this field must be a valid URL link.
Delete Project If checked, the QScan Project will be deleted once the analysis has been
completed. This field is disabled by default because if the Project is
deleted, all the analysis results are also deleted in QScan (but will remain
in FLOW as Log Entries and a PDF report).
COMPATIBILITY:
This task has been tested with Version 3.1.255.38 of QScan QC.
WEBSITE:
https://qscan.editshare.com/
VidChecker QC Filter
VidChecker QC is a file-based Quality Control (QC) solution for automatically checking and correcting video
and audio in file-based digital video. You will require a VidChecker QC server connected to the same
network as FLOW.
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PARAMETERS:
COMPATIBILITY:
This task has been tested with Version v6.5.10 of Vidchecker QC.
WEBSITE:
http://www.vidcheck.com/
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Task Elements
The Task elements carry out the actual function or functions you set for each template. Some tasks have
fields where you can incorporate a combination of free text, time of day and metadata types. See Fields
with Combined Input Values.
Note: Task fields with a button have extended functionality, see text below:
Some tasks, such as Copy and Transcode, have fields where you are not limited to one input type, such as
typing a value in a text box or selecting an option from a list. Such fields are identified by a button with a
Cogs icon. You can use the default input type as usual, or add a combination of input types as follows:
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b. Drop down list: Select an option from the list.
6. The value you enter or select displays above the current marker.
7. Click the Add (+) button to add an input type, and repeat steps 3 to 6.
Aspera Task
Organizations that have Aspera high-speed file transfer products at their sites can use FLOW Automation
to accelerate the transfer of media across their sites using accelerated Aspera links. Progress of transfers
is reported from Aspera back to the FLOW Automation task so the Automation job does not report
completion until the file has been delivered to the specified remote location.
You will require two Aspera servers, one connected to the local FLOW network and one to the destination
(remote) FLOW network.
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PARAMETERS:
Local Aspera Server Type the IP Address of the local Aspera server.
Remote Aspera Server Type the IP Address of the remote Aspera server.
Remote Port Service access port on the remote Aspera server. The default is
33001.
Remote User The name of the Aspera user on the remote Aspera node.
Authentication Method Type the remote authentication method - Password or Public Key.
Remote Key Path Path on local Aspera node to private key when using Public Key
Authentication.
Remote Key Passphrase Passphrase for local key on local Aspera node when using Public
Key Authentication.
Remote Password Type the password for the remote Aspera node when using
password authentication.
Local Storage Space: Mount Point Enter the mount point of the EditShare local Aspera node.
Remote Path Enter the path to the uploaded files if no EditShare server is
present.
Target Rate Type the target transfer rate for the Aspera in kbps. This setting
can be overridden by the Administrator of the Aspera server.
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Copy Task
This task is used to copy or move content to a folder within a storage space. To specify the input source,
precede the task with a storage space Input element.
PARAMETERS:
To Select the destination storage space from the drop down list.
Folder If you want to copy media to a folder within a storage space, type the name of the
folder in this field. You can use the following identifiers:
Remove Original Select the box if you want to delete the original file.
User Type the name of a valid user account that can log in to the storage spaces being
used. Alternatively, leave blank to select the default Automation† account, or
$USER$ to select the user account that activated the template.
Password The password for the user account that is used to run the template. Type
$PASSWORD$ if you entered $USER$ in the User field.
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Prioritize Select the box to grant this task higher priority than non- prioritized tasks.
Prioritized tasks do not receive any priority over ingests or EditShare QoS streams.
Preserve Path Preserve the folder path structure when copying or moving files.
Note: If there are two Amazon S3 spaces that have the same setting for Region it is possible to copy between the
two spaces using the Automation Copy task. However, if the region settings are different, attempts to copy
between the two spaces will fail.
In the example shown above, the file is copied to the specified storage space and initiates a scan of the
destination folder or space. If the copy task was successful, the original file is passed to the green output
and is deleted. If the copy task was unsuccessful, the original file is passed to the red output, which
initiates an email notification.
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To specify the input source, precede the task with a storage space Input element.
PARAMETERS:
This task has the same parameters as the Copy Task described on Copy Task.
Delay Task
Inserts a user-defined delay into the workflow. When the delay interval has passed, the next task in the
workflow is processed. This is useful if you need to insert a delay to allow for one process to complete
before your template initiates the next task or action.
PARAMETERS:
Delay - Type the delay you require as an integer in seconds into the text box. A value of 180 inserts a delay
of three minutes, a value of 3600 inserts a delay of one hour.
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Delete Task
Use with caution, especially with the storage space input element, because this element applies
the same action on all files in the specified storage space. If you associate a Delete Task with this
element, all files in the storage space you specify will be deleted.
Select the type of deletion you want from the Options drop down list:
PARAMETERS:
Options Select the type of deletion you want from the drop down list.
● Archive - Removes the archive instances of the files on Ark Disk or Tape
for 3rd party storage.
● Metadata - Removes all metadata relating to the files.
● Nearline - Removes low-speed disk based storage.
● Online All - Removes all online instances of clips.
● Online Trigger - Removes only the online files defined by either storage
space, search results or filter upstream in the template.
● Proxy - Removes the proxy of the selected files.
User Type the name of a valid user account that can log in to the storage spaces
being used. Alternatively, leave blank to select the default Automation†
account, or $USER$ to select the user account that activated the template.
Password The password for the user account that is used to run the template.
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FTP Task
Uploads files to a designated FTP server. The task has multiple outputs:
● Success Output (Green) - processes the original file if the FTP task is successful.
● Failure Output (Red) - processes the original file if the FTP task fails.
In the example shown above, an email notification is initiated when files are transferred successfully. To
specify the input source, precede the task with a storage space Input element.
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PARAMETERS
Host Type the IP Address of the FTP server you want to upload to.
Path Type the path name to be used on the FTP server. If left blank, a path will be
created.
User Type the name of a valid user account that can log in to the storage spaces being
used. Alternatively, leave blank to select the default Automation† account, or
$USER$ to select the user account that activated the template.
Password The password for the user account that is used to run the template.
Port Type the port number for FTP access into the text box. The most common port
number for FTP servers is 21.
File Exists Select the action to be taken if the file to be uploaded has an identical name to a
file that already exists on the FTP server.
● Overwrite - The file on the FTP server is overwritten by the uploaded file
● Next Unique - A new name is created for the file when it is uploaded to the
FTP server.
● Error - Treats the upload request as an error and notifies the user.
● Ignore - Ignores the upload request. An error message is not sent to the
user.
Log Log - Select the box if you want FTP transfers to be logged.
Log User Required only when the Log box is selected. Type the name of a valid user
account that can log in to the storage spaces being used. Alternatively, leave
blank to select the default Automation† account, or $USER$ to select the user
account that activated the template.
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Log Password Required only when the Log box is selected. The password for the user account
that is used to run the template. Type $PASSWORD$ if you entered $USER$ in the
User field.
Preserve Path Preserve the folder path structure when copying or moving files.
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PARAMETERS:
Filename Type the filename of the exported metadata here. You can use the following
identifiers:
Overwrite Select this box to allow Automation to overwrite any existing file with the same name
as the output file.
Storage Space The storage space where the metadata is to be exported. Double-click to open a drop
down list of available storage spaces.
Folder The name of the folder, if any, below the storage space where the file is to reside. You
can use the following identifiers:
User Type the name of a valid user account that can log in to the storage spaces being used.
Alternatively, leave blank to select the default Automation† account, or $USER$ to
select the user account that activated the template.
Password The password for the user account that is used to run the template. Type
$PASSWORD$ if you entered $USER$ in the User field.
Consolidate Select this box to consolidate all exported metadata into a single file. Note, you must
specify the storage space and filename destinations.
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Metadata Task
Sets the selected metadata item to a text value specified by the user.
PARAMETERS:
Set Select the metadata item you want to modify from the drop down list.
Text In the text box to the right of the drop down list, type the text you want assigned to the
metadata you selected. You can use the following identifiers:
Action Select how you want the text to be positioned relative to any current text from the
drop down list:
Ensure Space The Ensure Space check box is used with the Action drop down list. This check box is
(default) selected as default, which means that a space character is added between any existing
text and any new text. When the checkbox is deselected no space character is added.
Metadata is information about each file on your FLOW system. It is stored in the FLOW database. Some
metadata, e.g. file creation date, is built in to FLOW whereas other metadata is user defined. Refer to the
FLOW Administrator’s Guide for further information about metadata and templates.
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Notification Task
PARAMETERS:
Email From Type the email address from where the notification is to originate, e.g.
notifications@mycompany.com.
Email Title Type the text you want in the Subject field of the email. You can use the
following identifiers:
Email Message Type the text you want to appear before the message text that Automation
generates. You can use the following identifiers:
Email Message Detail Select the format of the email message from the drop down list. The options
are Summary and Full.
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Project Task
Creates or removes a FLOW Project or a folder within a project.
Projects are used to organize media such as video clips, subclips and sequences into folders.
PARAMETERS:
Project Name Type the name of the project to be added, removed or modified.
Folder If you want to add or remove a folder within a project, type the name of the folder
here. If this field is left blank, it is the project, not the folder that is deleted. You can
use the following identifiers:
You can specify sub folders using the forward slash character (/). For example:
grandparent/parent/child.
The forward slash character ‘/’ is used as the delimiter between folders.
The default value is $USER$, which assigns ownership to the user who activates the
template, i.e. clicks the Activate button in Design View.
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Scan Task
Initiates a Full, Normal or Quick scan of the selected storage spaces.
PARAMETERS:
Scan Type Select the type scan you require from the drop down box:
● Quick: Looks only for new or modified files based on the file path and time
stamp. Of the three Scan options, this method uses the least system resources.
● Normal: Checks file IDs and incrementally scans new and modified files.
● Full: Rescans all files even if they have not changed. This option takes the most
time and system resources to complete.
Create Proxies Select the box to create proxies for newly added media.
Auto Delete Select this box to delete material that has been moved from the storage space.
Storage Spaces Select the storage space you want to scan from the drop down list. You can add
multiple storage spaces if required.
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Script Runner Task
The Script Runner task allows running custom scripts that can be written by third parties. The scripts must
live in the following directory on the server that runs the FLOW Automation service:
/var/flow/automation/scripts
Example Input:
The example.py script can be found in the location above and it explains how the example below works:
Example Input
{
"inputs":
[
{ "asset_files": [
"/mnt/flow/mhallin/myfiles/rushes77.mov"
],
"asset_id": 65
}
],
"output_dir": "/mnt/flow/outputms",
"output_name": "clipname",
"output_subdir": "dir/",
"flow_password": "changeme",
"flow_user": "matt",
"automation_server" : "192.168.1.30",
"admin_server" : "192.168.1.31",
"overwrite": False,
"extra_args" : "hello"
Example Output
[[BEGIN]]
{
"outputs": [
{
"asset_files": ["/mnt/flow/outputms/mydir/testoutput.mp4"],
"scan": true
}
],
"project_id" : 23,
"project_folder_id" : 25
}
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[[END]]
Note: this script is installed by FLOW and will be overwritten by any updates. If modifying for your own
workflow please make a copy.
Task Outputs
The Task has multiple outputs:
● Success Output (Green) - processes the original file if the task is successful.
● Failure Output (Red) - processes the original file if the task fails.
PARAMETERS:
Script Name Select the name of the script that you want to run, for example a script written in
Python.
Clip Name Type the name of the clip that you want to use to trigger the script.
User The user name used to run the task, if left blank then the automation user will be used.
Password The password for the above user can be left blank if the automation user is used.
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Send To FLOW Site Task
Transfers high resolution media, proxy files, and/or FLOW metadata to other EditShare FLOW systems,
whether they are on the same site or are separated geographically. This feature requires the destination
site to be listed in the Sites tab of FLOW Control (see the FLOW Administrator’s Guide for details).
The following There are few extra conditions for the Send To FLOW Site task regarding users:
● The Editshare Administrator login credentials must be the same on both sites.
● The user account has to be present on both sites with the same login credentials.
PARAMETERS:
User The user name for both local and destination logon, please make sure this
user has automation rights.
Destination Site Select the name of the destination site from the drop down list.
Sites are predefined in FLOW Control.
Destination Storage Space Select the name of the storage space from the drop down list. Sites and
their storage spaces are predefined in FLOW Control.
Overwrite Existing Data Select the box to allow existing data to be overwritten.
Copy High-Res Media Select the box to allow high resolution media to be uploaded. Do not
select the box if the site has restricted disk space or there are bandwidth
issues.
Copy Clip Metadata & Select the box to include metadata and proxy files with the original clip.
Proxy
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Send to Amazon S3 Task
Sends media and other file types to an Amazon S3 Simple Storage Service. You must have registered an
Amazon Web Service (AWS) account before you can use Automation with this service, and create Buckets
for the items you wish to store.
● Success Output (Green) - processes the original file if the task is successful.
● Failure Output (Red) - processes the original file if the task fails.
To specify the input source, precede the task with a storage space Input element.
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PARAMETERS:
AWS Access Key Id Type the AWS Access Key Id for your account in the text box. This can be
found in the AWS Management console.
AWS Secret Access Key Type the AWS Secret Access Key for your account in the text box. This can be
found in the AWS Management console.
AWS Region Select the AWS Region you want to use from the drop down list.
Bucket Name Type the name of the Bucket you want data uploaded to. Make sure that you
have created a Bucket with the same name in your AWS account.
Path Type the path name for the folder containing the files you want to send. The
path in the Bucket will be created if it does not exist.
Use S3 acceleration Tick to use the S3 acceleration feature. Acceleration must also be enabled in
the Bucket, and usage may incur additional charges by Amazon.
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Transcode Task
Note: Automation does not validate the combination of wrappers and codecs you select for this feature. Before
setting these parameters in your template, refer to the FLOW Supported Formats User’s Reference to verify that
the selected formats are valid.
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PARAMETERS:
Clip Name: † Type the clip name for the output name. You can add the following
identifiers:
Destination Storage Space: † From the drop-down list, select the storage space where you want the
transcoded media saved.
Destination Folder: † Type the name of the output folder in the text box. You can add the
following identifiers:
Wrapper: † Select the wrapper to be used from the drop-down list.
Encoding: † Select the encoding method to be used from the drop-down list.
Channel: Select the channel or channels FLOW uses for transcoding. You can
choose more than one channel, allowing FLOW to distribute tasks across
the specified channels for optimal system efficiency.
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To prevent contention issues with other users, it is recommended that
you reserve at least one FLOW channel specifically for Automation. See
the FLOW Administrator’s Guide for further information about channel
allocation in FLOW.
User Type the name of a valid user account that can log in to the storage
spaces being used. Alternatively, leave blank to select the default
Automation† account, or $USER$ to select the user account that
activated the template.
Password The password for the user account that is used to run the template.
Type $PASSWORD$ if you entered $USER$ in the User field.
Maintain Source Metadata When enabled, any metadata from the source clip is copied to the
transcoded clip. All associated metadata, including custom metadata, is
preserved.
Maintain Log Entries When enabled, any Log entries from the source clip are copied to the
transcoded clip. All associated metadata, including custom metadata,
are preserved.
Maintain Markers When enabled, any Markers from the source clip are copied to the
transcoded clip. All associated metadata, including custom metadata,
are preserved.
Skip if output exists When enabled, skips transcoding if the clip has already been transcoded
with the same destination and codec selection from this task.
Update Avid PMR Click to include the Avid PMR file. This setting is valid only when the
Destination storage space is AvidStyle or AvidMXF.
Preserve Data Tracks Unclick if you do not want to preserve data tracks when transcoding.
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Start Handle The value, in seconds, that the task uses to start.
End Handle The value, in seconds, that the task uses to end.
Consolidate sequences When transcoding sequences, consolidate to a single output clip. If not
selected, each sequence entry will be individually transcoded to a new
clip.
Transcodes media to the selected format. The task has multiple outputs:
In the example shown above, the file is transcoded to the specified format and initiates a Metadata Export
task. If the transcode task was successful, the original file is passed to the green output and is deleted. If
the transcode task was unsuccessful, the original file is passed to the red output, which initiates an email
notification.
PARAMETERS:
The parameters available for this task are the same as for the Transcode Task described on Transcode Task.
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Conditional Operators
Many elements in FLOW Automation have parameters which test for expressions using conditional
operators such as ‘is’, ‘is not’, ‘begins with’. The conditions tested are dependent on the parameter type,
i.e. boolean, text, numerical or date.
For example, the following expression looks for media whose name (recorded by the Clipname metadata
field) contains the phrase ‘Fulchester Rovers’.
In this example, the phrase can exist anywhere in the clip name. If we want to search for clip names that
start with ’Fulchester Rovers‘ but exclude all other instances of the phrase, we could change the
operator from ‘contains’ to ‘begins with’. Therefore the clip name ‘Fulchester Rovers beats
Oldbury Rangers‘ would be accepted (true) but ‘Oldbury defeated by Fulchester Rovers‘
would not be accepted (false).
Boolean
This is a
simple Yes / No test. The user-defined value in this case is a check box. The operators are as follows:
The parameter is tested against metadata with a boolean value, for example to denote when a clip has
been approved or signed off.
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Text
The parameter is tested against text based metadata, for example a clip name, a storage space, a codec,
or a user-defined parameter where the user fills in a text box.
Numeric
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Date/Time
The parameter is tested against a date and / or time based value, e.g. the Creation date of a clip.
Color
This compares the Marker color in a clip to the color palette selection. To open the palette, and select a
color from it, click on the marker displayed to the right of the operator drop down list.
The color selection is added to the mark displayed to the right of the operator drop down list.
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Combining Expressions
You can combine two or more expressions into one overall, more powerful, expression for use in your
templates.
Example 1
Example 1 looks for clips named ‘Fulchester Rovers’ that have been approved. It uses two expressions, one
that looks for clips where the Clipname parameter contains the phrase ‘Fulchester Rovers’ and a second
parameter called ‘Approved’ which has a tick box. Both expressions must be true for the combined
expression to work, this is done by selecting ‘All’ from the Match drop down list.
Example also assumes that the Administrator for your FLOW system has created a metadata item called
‘Approved’ in the form of a box that the user can tick or untick (boolean).
1. Add a Search Input element to the Design View. Left-click on the element to display its properties
pro-forma below the Design window.
2. Create an expression looking for the phrase ‘Fulchester Rovers’ in the clip name.
a. Select ‘Clipname’ from the Metadata drop down list.
b. Select ‘contains’ from the operator drop down list.
c. Enter Fulchester Rovers into the text box.
3. Click on the Add button.
4. A new Expression pro-forma displays below the first expression.
5. Create a new expression that looks for the metadata item called Approved:
a. Select Approved from the Metadata drop down list.
b. Select is from the operator drop down list.
c. Click the box to the right.
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6. From the Match drop down list, select All.
7. Add further expressions, if required, by clicking on the Add button.
8. Remove expressions, if required, by clicking on the Remove button.
9. Complete the template, as required, making sure there is a Trigger element at the start of your
template, and that it is connected to the Input element created in step 1.
Example 2
Example 2 looks for clips that contain ‘Fulchester Rovers’ and ‘Oldbury Rangers’. Clips that contain only
one of the two phrases in their name will be ignored by Automation.
1. Create an expression which looks for the phrase ‘Fulchester Rovers’ in the clip name, as described
in steps 1 to 4 as described in Example 1.
2. Create an expression which looks for the phrase ‘Oldbury Rangers’ in the clip name:
a. Select Clipname from the Metadata drop down list.
b. Select contains from the operator drop down list.
c. Enter Oldbury Rangers into the text box.
3. From the Match drop down list, select All.
4. Complete the template, as required, making sure there is a Trigger element at the start of your
template, and that it is connected to the Input element.
Example 3
Example 3 looks for clips that contain ‘Fulchester Rovers’ or ‘Oldbury Rangers’. Automation will accept clips
containing only one or both of the phrases in the clip name.
1. Create an expression which looks for the phrase ‘Fulchester Rovers’ in the clip name, as
described in steps 1 to 4 as described in Example 1.
2. Create an expression which looks for the phrase ‘Oldbury Rangers’ in the clip name:
a. Select Clipname from the Metadata drop down list.
b. Select contains from the operator drop down list.
c. Enter Oldbury Rangers into the text box.
3. From the Match drop down list, select Any.
4. Complete the template, as required, making sure there is a Trigger element at the start of your
template, and that it is connected to the Input element.
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Chapter 5: Automation Monitoring
This chapter describes the operation of the Monitor function in FLOW Automation.
Clicking on the Monitor tab opens the Automation Schedule, which is divided into the following panes.
● Activated Jobs
● Queued Jobs Viewer
● Running Jobs Queue
● Completed Jobs
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Activated Jobs
The Activated jobs section of the Monitor viewer displays the Jobs that have been activated in the Design
view. Refer to "Activating and Deactivating a Workflow Template" on page 33. Any Job displayed in this
viewer may be started manually, even if it has a start time or condition trigger. When a Job is deactivated,
it is removed from the Activated Jobs Viewer.
To view the active jobs, select the Monitor tab and then the Activated tab.
"Triggers on" shows the list of available events, an example is "Upload" so when someone uploads an
asset into FLOW, this event is fired and can be used to trigger a job.
You can limit events by media space. In the upload example, this means the trigger would only fire when
someone uploads an asset to the selected media spaces.
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Queued Jobs Viewer
The Queued Jobs Viewer displays all the scheduled jobs queued for processing by Automation. From
within this page, the job can be paused, restarted, or removed from the queue.
● Job Name
● Source Template
● Status
● Date and Time started
● Queue Position
1. Click the Name, Status, Time or Queue Position column header to sort the job order on the
selected column. If you click on the same column header again, the view toggles between
ascending and descending order.
2. You can also change the order of jobs by holding down the left mouse button on an item and
dragging it into the position you require.
3. Click on the desired queued item to pause, resume, or remove the item. Hold down the Ctrl or
Shift key with the mouse button to make multiple selections.
4. Click on the + button against a job to display individual stages within the job. Click the - button to
collapse the listing to a single line entry.
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5. To pause selected jobs, click on the Pause button.
6. To resume the selected jobs, click on the Resume button.
7. To pause all jobs in the queue, click on the Pause All button.
8. To resume all jobs in the queue, click on the Resume All button.
9. To remove selected jobs from the queue, click on the Remove button. A message box prompts you
to confirm the removal. Click Yes to confirm removal, or No to cancel the operation.
10. To remove all jobs in the queue, click on the Remove All button. A message box prompts you to
confirm the removal. Click Yes.
● Job Name
● Source template
● Status
● Date and Time started
● Progress
1. The progress of each job is indicated by a horizontal green bar, together with a numerical display
of the actual percentage completed.
2. Click on the + button against a job to expand the listing to display the progress of individual steps
within that job. Click the - button to collapse the listing to a single line entry.
3. To stop a job that is in progress:
a. Click on the job to select it.
b. Click on the Stop button. A message displays asking you to confirm that the job will be
removed from the list and that it cannot be recovered.
c. Click Yes to remove the job or No to cancel the operation.
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Completed Jobs
The Completed job history Log displays jobs that have been processed and reports whether they were
successful or not. Each job is listed with the following information.
● Job Name
● Source template
● Status
● Date and Time started
● Progress
Both the Status and Progress fields are color coded as follows:
● Completed: Blue
● Test: Orange
● Failed: Red
If Automation issues a warning with a job, it highlights the job with a yellow border.
Informational Tools
Within the Monitor function the informational tools provide means to use the monitor panel.
● Summary Box
● Context Menu
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Summary Box
The Summary box provides a glance at the jobs completed and whether they were a Pass, Fail, or had a
Warning.
The following is an extended version of the Summary box provided in drop-down showing job status of
jobs completed.
Context Menu
To view the context menu, right-click on the desired job.
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From here you can:
● View Details – Displays job messages, errors, warning, time started and finished.
● Export – Exports details in CSV format.
● View Job Template – Returns you back to the Design Grid with the template in question.
● Delete Job – Removes job from the monitor tab.
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Chapter 6: Troubleshooting
If you are having problems with your FLOW system, see the following topics before you contact your local
EditShare Technical Support office.
Network
1. If the IP Address text box displays in the login screen, check that the correct IP address or server
name is entered in the box.
2. Verify your connection to the FLOW Admin server as follows:
a. Open a command line prompt and type ping <server name> where ping <server name>
is the hostname or IP Address of the AirFLOW server.
b. If no packets are returned, or the message destination host unreachable displays, check
the network cable connection to the LAN port on your workstation.
c. Verify that your workstation is connected to the network segment as the FLOW server. Verify
you have a network cable connected and that the LAN port LED is flashing.
d. Server Groups option only: Verify you are connected to the correct server group at login.
3. If you use Wi-Fi for working away from your organization, or for AirFLOW, ensure that Wi-Fi is
switched OFF when you are using a cable network connection for FLOW Browse, FLOW Logger,
Automation or FLOW Control.
4. If you still have no connection, contact the administrator for your FLOW system.
Cannot Log In
Verify that you are using the correct username and password. Passwords are case sensitive, so ensure the
Caps Lock key is OFF.
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‘Automation service unavailable!’ Message
Message displays when you log in. Automation may take a while to find the FLOW Admin server or you
have to enter the IP Address of the Admin server every time you log in.
● Verify that the client workstation is on the same IP address segment as the FLOW Admin server.
For example, if the server is on 192.168.8.1, verify that the client workstation IP address is
192.168.8.x, where x is between 2 and 254 inclusive.
● Verify that the client workstation is not using the same IP Address as any other network device,
including the FLOW server.
When the Automation Service is unavailable, you can still make local changes to templates. However,
because the Automation Templates are stored on the server, any changes must be saved when the service
is restored to prevent them from being lost.
● Verify that the server you are trying to access is online and connected to the network.
Click OK to close the window. Rectify the reported error in your workflow template and then retest it.
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Workflow Template does not Run
The Test Run window confirms the template is working but it will not run as a Job in Automation Schedule.
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